Oven conveyer



d. 22, E935. L RONDOUN 2,017,991

" OVEN CONVEYER Filed June 27, 1955 2 sneetsfsheet 1 lhuen to?? l L. RONDOUN M1991 OVEN CONVEYER y Filed June 27, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In ver; for' ttor/:Q33

Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OVEN CONVEYER Laurent Rondolin,

Bermondsey,

England, as-

signor to Peek Frean & Company Limited,

London, England, London, England and Laurent Rondolin,

7 Claims.

The manufacture of biscuits, as is Well known, involves the use of doughs or mixtures of a variety of kinds which necessitate, or are by choice subjected to, different heat treatments. For example, in some cases biscuits are baked on sheets and in other cases on wires. Where ovens are employed, equipped with endless carriers, on to which sheet metal pans or Wire trays can be al` ternatively placed, it is an easy matter to change 10 from one procedure to another. Where however the biscuits are traversed through an oven directly upon an endless web it is not so easy to substitute one kind of web for another, and therefore there are found in establishments duplicate l5 plants, one equipped with a non-perforated endless metal band and another with an endless skeleton band of wire, neither of which could be expeditiously and quickly brought into use to perform the duty of the other.

According to the present invention a skeleton or Wire endless band is combined with a plain or non-perforated endless band or removable support in such a manner that, throughout a heating zone, a run of the skeleton band is immediately above a run of the other band, or the remo-vable support. With either combination the skeleton or wire endless band may be used travelling in contact with its companion band or support, while an oven having a wider range of usefulness than has heretofore been possible for heat treatment of articles or material in different ways, is attainable by the provision of means for separating the skeleton band from the companion band or support.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in which the use of two endless bands is contemplated for carrying out the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View of the same with the bands in another position and Fig. 3 is a plan corresponding to Fig. 2 with part of one of the bands broken away. Figs. 4, 5, 6 and '7 are views of modified arrangements. Fig. 8 is a conventional view of a band and support co-mbination according to the invention.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 a Wire conveyer band I is superimposed on a plain steel conveyer band 2 so that both travel together, the outer wire conveyer band I being frictionally driven from the inner conveyer band 2 which is mounted upon suitable operating drums or rollers 3. The upper supporting runs of the two bands I, 2 may be achieved in any suitable way by any appropriate means, the run of the outer conveyer band I being shown in Fig. 2 as raised. A convenient way of doing this is by inserting spacing means laterally into the oven between the juxtaposed runs. In Figs. 2 and 3 tWo rods 4 and 5 are shown as employed, but either might be used alone, the positioning or spacing of the rod or rods or equivalent, in the direction of the length 5 of the oven being chosen to determine the distance that the conveyer runs are separated, and,

it may be, the point at which separation occurs. Similarly the positioning or dimensioning of the rod, rods or equivalent may be made use of to 10 determine the character or extent of separation of the conveyer runs.

n In some cases the top run of the inner conveyer band 2 may be depressed, Fig. 4 exemplifying four rods 4a, 4b and 5a, 5b as employed for 15 the purpose.

Again, if desired one run may be raised and the other depressed, this being exemplied in Fig` 5 as achieved by two rods 40, 5c of appropriate `diameter, appropriately positioned. 20

If it is necessary to tension the band 2 after removal of any of the rods this may be effected by inserting a jockey roller 2a as indicated in Fig. 4.

Although in the foregoing examples the two 25 bands are to all intents and purposes equal in length, it is obvious that the wire band I may be longer than the other and the upper run allowed to sag so that it can rest upon the other band 2 as shown in Fig. 6 or be separated to a greater 30 or lesser extent therefrom in any suitable Way such as by supporting means as in Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 illustrates two bands I, 2 which may be of different lengths arranged so that the lower run of the band I can be brought into contact 35 with, or separated from, the upper run of band 2.

As will be obvious optional separation of an endless skeleton band from a stationary support removable through say the side of an oven will enable the skeleton band to be used in different 40 ways, including use by itself. Such a modification is shown in Fig. 8 where 6 represents two overlapping plates which may be slid into place, beneath a wire band I, through slots 8 in the sides of the oven 9. In this example the upper run of the band I can be raised out of contact with the plates when desired such as by the means shown in Fig. 2.

What I claim isz- 1. In an oven, a skeleton endless conveyer, a 50 non-perforated support in relation to which one run of the skeleton conveyer is in close juxtaposition, and means whereby the said run can be separated from the companion support.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 in 55 zff which the non-'perforated support is an endless lof band.

3.7An arrangement accordingY to claim 1 in which the non-perforated support is stationary. 4. YIn an oven, a 'skeleton endless conveyer band, a Vcompanion non-perforated supporting band with one run of which a run of the skeleton band travels in Contact and means adapted to be applied to separate such normally contacting runs for a predetermined distance when desired.

5. VIn anroven, a plain steel conveyer band, operating drums upon which Vsuch band is mounted, andV a wire conveyer band superimposed on the plain band so that both travel together, the outer band beingfrictionally `driven from the inner band.

6. In an oven, a plain steelconveyerband,

operating drums upon which such band is mounted, a wire conveyer band superimposed on the plain band so thatboth travel together, the outer band being Irictionally driven from the inner band,V and means adapted Yto be applied to secure separation between contacting runs'of the two bands for a predetermined distance when desired.

7. In an oven, a plain steel conveyer band, operating drums upon which such band is mounted, a wire conveyer band superimposed on the plain band so that both travel together, the

outer band being frictonally drivenrfrom the in-y ner band and rods adapted to be inserted later-V ally between contacting runs of the conveyers to raise one run clear ofthe other when desired.

LAURENT RONDOLIN. 

